


As Long As We Both Shall Live

by NamelesslyNightlock



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Apples of Idunn, Commitment, Declarations Of Love, Established Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Frigga is a Good Mom, Idiots in Love, Loki (Marvel) Feels, M/M, Mortality Feels, Oblivious Tony Stark, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 11:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: Everything in Asgard was gold– the walls, the armour, the roads. Even the food was gold, and Tony thought nothing of accepting another piece of golden fruit from Loki during a ceremony at the palace. At least, not until he reached his sixtieth birthday and realised that he hadn’t aged a day.





	As Long As We Both Shall Live

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jaxonkreide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaxonkreide/gifts).



> This was prompted by **jaxonkreide** in the FI discord. I am putting the prompt in the end notes. (And it's not exactly what you asked for, but I hope you like the changes I made!)

The first thing Tony noticed about Asgard – honestly, the _very first thing_ – was that it was incredibly gold.

He supposed it shouldn’t have been a surprise – it _was_ the realm of the gods, after all – but he was looking forward to the new technology, to dissecting the Bifröst, to seeing the place where Loki had grown up—

But was all just _fucking gold_.

Regardless, he was going to have to put up with it and do so with a smile. He’d been invited to meet Frigga and Odin, so, you know, he might have been just a little bit nervous. Meeting the parents was never a fun experience, but meeting them when you’d already been dating their son for the past three years and had already asked him to marry you?

Yeah. He and Loki had skipped a few steps, but Tony didn’t mind. He loved Loki with all his heart, and he was willing to put up with a little light glare for a while if it helped to make Loki happy.

Honestly, though. Was _that much gold_ really necessary?

The landing point for the Bifröst was gold, bright and glowing and shining across every surface, moving or not. Even the ground was polished, and Tony could see his reflection as they greeted Heimdall– who wore gold armour and whose eyes shone with the same colour.

The rainbow bridge, at least, offered a little variation on colour and gave his eyes a break, but he could see the spires of the city in the distance, glinting in the sun and looking just as fucking gold as everything about Heimdall’s post had been.

Gold buildings, gold clothes, gold roads.

Gold armour, gold doors, gold hallways, gold _everything_.

Even the food was fucking gold.

When Tony had first walked into Loki’s chambers – which were, thankfully, a mix of dark browns and _green_ – and saw the bowl of golden fruit sitting on a small coffee table, he nearly lost it. Pears, bananas, oranges– and okay, the thought of an orange that wasn’t _orange_ was more than enough to melt the mind. There was even a bunch of grapes that looked like little golden beads.

“Are you kidding me?” he asked. “ _Really?”_

“Since Iðunn’s harvest became essential, it has become practice to model all fruits in the same fashion,” Loki explained, though his expression was amused as he watched Tony battle between a laugh and a groan.

Tony settled on something in the middle and choked out a sound that wouldn’t have seemed out of place had it come from a dying seal, and Loki chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and pressed a light kiss to his cheek from behind. Tony felt the smile against his skin, and it helped him get a hold of himself.

“They just look like metal,” Tony said once he had calmed enough to do so. “I don’t know if I could actually bite it without worrying about my teeth.”

“They taste delicious,” Loki promised, and when Tony still stared at the bowl dubiously, he added, “Why don’t you try one? It might be helpful, for you to have tried them before tonight, if you think that it will be difficult.”

Tony wasn’t sure that he saw the reasoning behind that, but Loki was so earnest and– to be honest, Tony was more than little curious. So he stepped out of Loki’s arms and picked up one of the pears, turning it over in his hands.

The skin was smooth, but it _did_ feel like skin, even though it gleamed just like metal. When he pressed down its flesh even gave a little, just like a pear from Earth would have, and that plus the fact that he trusted Loki’s judgement was enough to lift it to his lips and take a bite.

His teeth sunk into the crisp fruit easily, and his eyes widened as the juice burst across his tongue. Loki was right– it _was_ delicious, more so than any of the fruit Tony had ever had back home. He could have eaten the whole bowl right then and there, but he chose to look up and give Loki a grin instead.

“Okay,” he admitted. “So I suppose I can see the appeal.”

Loki matched his smile, and pulled him close to press a kiss to his lips.

“I’m glad,” he said. “It will make tonight easier, I think.”

They had a few hours to kill before the feast, and Tony was glad when Loki agreed to take the time to show him where he had grown up.

More metal, more gold. It was inescapable, but Tony quickly learned to filter it out, focusing instead on all the places he was seeing and on the stories Loki was telling him. As they walked through the city, Tony noticed that Loki had been right about the fruit on Asgard– all of it seemed to share that golden hue, whether it be the wares in the market or the slice of… _something_ that was floating in the drink Loki ordered for him.

Tony revelled in it, because the fruit truly was the best that he had tasted, and he was almost saddened by the thought that this would be his only chance to consume it. They were due to head back to Earth the next day– so Tony would just have to enjoy it while he could.

Their time passed far too quickly in a haze of happiness and delight, and Tony wished that they could have more days of perfect relaxation. But he only had to remember why they had come– remember that he would soon be swearing to have and to hold, and then all of that sadness would melt away.

He would spend the rest of his life having happy days with Loki, and he couldn’t ask for a more perfect future.

—~—

The Great Hall was – you guessed it – decorated gold, with a mural on the ceiling depicting the royal family and some kind of peace treaty, and the walls were draped with tapestries that showed legendary battles. The throne itself was huge and, yep, gold, and it towered over the one end of the room and dwarfed the figure sitting it, yet somehow made him appear large all at the same time.

Odin was straight and stern, his brow pulled into a frown as he watched them approach. In contrast, Frigga stood beside him with her hands clasped at her front and a wide smile gracing her face. Despite the fact that she was probably doing the royal equivalent of shaking with excitement, she remained silent as Tony and Loki approached the dais.

“Mother,” Loki said, lowering his head– and Tony had to hide his smirk as muttering broke out throughout the hall, knowing that Loki had just broken protocol with his order of address. Trust him to cause a stir with his very first _word_.

“Loki,” Odin said sternly, and Loki’s smile turned bright and false.

“Allfather,” Loki greeted with a little more stiffness than he had his mother, but polite nonetheless. “We are grateful that you have chosen to bless our union. This is my betrothed, Anthony Stark.”

“Your majesties,” Tony said, bowing low. And yeah, okay, he hated that he was being made to bow, but this was for _Loki_.

He could _feel_ their scrutiny on the back of his neck, burning through his skin, but he held on to his composure. After all, Tony knew that he could never measure up to their hopes, that he could never be good enough for Loki.

Oh, it wasn’t that he was being self-depreciating, or that he thought that he did not measure up to his fiancé. After all, Loki loved him, and Tony more than trusted Loki’s judgement. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they belonged together—

But no parent, not even ones such as Odin and Frigga, would ever want to set their child up for heartbreak, and there could be no other result if Loki stayed with Tony.

It was something that had hung over Tony’s head since the very beginning, because it was hard to ignore the fact that your boyfriend is immortal when there were legends written about him over a thousand years ago. Averages and statistics stated that Tony would live for perhaps another thirty years, but going by his past, Tony knew he’d be lucky to hit another ten. And then after that, Loki would live for thousands more years.

It wasn’t a happy prospect, and honestly, Tony would not blame Loki’s parents if they threw him out on his arse—

But after a few long, harrowing moments, Odin spoke again.

“Welcome to Asgard, Anthony Stark,” he said. “I have been watching you, and I believe that Loki has chosen well. We shall begin the festivities!”

Tony’s unease at that last comment was lost as the Hall went up in a cheer, but Loki leaned in and whispered a reassurance in the guise of pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Do not worry, neither he nor Heimdall have been able to observe us, I made sure of it. He is merely intimidating you.”

“So he is.”

Loki and Tony both looked up at the new voice to see that Frigga had come down the steps to join them, her smile wide and fond as she watched them embrace.

Loki did not release Tony as he stepped forward to engulf his mother in a hug, and Tony found himself pulled into it as well, feeling a little awkward but not particularly minding the situation.

“It is good to see you so happy, Loki,” Frigga said, her own arms coming around the both of them. “And thank you, Anthony, for making him so.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Tony said. “Really.” He turned slightly to smile at his fiancé. “I love seeing him happy as well.”

“And that is why I am more than delighted to bless your union,” Frigga said, her smile growing. Then she released them from the hug, stepping back and smoothing down her skirts in a manner that somehow still looked graceful. “I am sure that you are keen to get to your celebrations. I will see you later for the giving ritual.”

“Our celebration?” Tony asked curiously, leaning into Loki’s side as his fiancé’s arm curled tightly around his waist. “And… a ritual?”

“Of course,” Loki said. “We are getting married on Midgard, but my mother requested that this part of the ceremony take place here.”

Tony _had_ been aware, of course, since that was the whole reason for them coming to Asgard in the first place. (And besides, the thought of his wedding being blessed by the goddess of marriage was a heady one, if only because he could totally laud it over Rhodey when he got back.)

However.

“I thought it was just going to be a declaration or something,” Tony said.

“Yes, we shall declare our love in front of all of Asgard and her magic, and then we shall swear to share our eternities with each other,” Loki said, his smile melting away to be replaced by tender seriousness. “Are you sure that you still wish to do this?”

Tony did vaguely remember something about that, but he might have been geeking out over the fact that he was going to be able to use the Bifröst at the time, so.

But it was Loki who was asking, and Tony had made his decision when it came to pledging eternity a long time ago– even if his eternity was a lot shorter than Loki’s would be.

“Of course,” he said innocently, and Loki smiled so sweetly that Tony had to kiss him once again.

The rest of the evening passed in a bit of a blur, spinning in circles as they danced and ate and never left each other’s side. Tony was delighted when he found some golden grapes amongst the meat and bread, and he ate more than his fill. Which was probably a good thing, because mead flowed down his throat far too easily. Thor’s jokes were loud enough to echo laughter all through the halls, and fuck, the Asgardians knew how to party.

It was glamorous and wild all at once, and Tony loved every moment.

As Frigga returned to the front of the hall, Loki touched his fingers to Tony’s temple with a fond look in his eye.

“Here,” he said. “I think you might appreciate having a clear mind for this.”

“Please,” Tony replied, realising his mistake and grateful that his fiancé had the forethought to rectify it. “I want to remember everything about tonight.”

Loki threaded his fingers through Tony’s hair and Tony closed his eyes at the sensation, smiling as he felt the familiar brush of Loki’s seiðr against his mind. Loki had gifted Tony with the spell before, when he felt particularly sorry for him after a hangover – though not every time, since he seemed to believe that Tony needed to _learn_ from such mistakes – and he knew the feeling well when his head began to clear.

“Thank you,” Tony said when the spell was done, and he leaned in to kiss his soon to be husband with as much enthusiasm and feeling as he could muster.

They were unfortunately interrupted by Thor’s booming laugh as he came to usher them up to the dais, though Thor’s smile was soft as he touched both their shoulders in congratulations.

“I am pleased for you both,” he said, his eyes shining so bright that they rivalled the golden décor. “I am so happy that you have found _your_ happiness in each other, and that you will be able to share it forever.”

Loki’s voice was thick as he said, “Thank you, brother.”

Thor’s hug was far more bone crushing than Frigga’s had been – as in, Tony actually really could feel some of his bones crunch together, though he didn’t think he’d actually managed to break anything – and he gasped in a breath when Thor let them go.

“Thanks Thor,” Tony said, not meaning it any less despite the way his voice cracked.

Thor gave them one final grin before pushing them both toward Frigga, and Tony stumbled a bit before regaining his steps.

They stood facing each other with Frigga beside and between them, as if they were truly getting married already. (And Tony could cope with that, so long as he looked at it as a dry run.)

“Loki,” Frigga said, glancing between them, her eyes dancing with pure joy. “Anthony. We are here today for the two of you to declare your intentions before all of Asgard.”

And… that was all she said, looking between them expectantly.

Tony swallowed, knowing that he was to go first.

It was a little nerve wracking, standing before the _whole_ of Asgard– but then Loki reached out and took his hand, and Tony’s nerves all melted away. Because this wasn’t for Asgard– this was for Loki, and that made it the easiest thing in the world.

“Loki,” he said– but that didn’t quite sound right, so he drew in a breath and started again. “Hey, Lokes. You already know how I feel about you, because I know I’ve said it several times a day since the first. And I know that you know what this means to me, as well, but… well, I’m going to say it all again, because I know that I can’t say it _enough_.”

Loki’s eyes were shining, and Tony took that as encouragement to keep going.

“I love you more than anything,” he said, holding Loki’s gaze. “I will stand by your side for as long as I am able, and if I can’t stand– then, well, I’ll still be by your side, I might just be sitting next to you instead. And I will love you for far longer still, because we’re better together, you and I. We didn’t… it’s not that we were fated, or that we just belong. We found each other, we worked for this, and that makes it all the more beautiful in my eyes. So yeah, you have my promise of forever, now and always, because I know that I’m never going to want to let go of you.”

Tony felt like he had stumbled a lot, and that he had probably made a lot of mistakes. But Loki was smiling at him like he had hung the sun, and Tony couldn’t do anything other than smile back.

“Anthony, you are the most precious thing to me in all of the Nine,” Loki started. “I love you as well, with all of my heart. You found me when I was at my lowest, and you helped me back to my feet. You bring out the most in me, you always have, and being with you brings more beauty to the world than anything else ever could. I swear that I will never leave you, and if you find, as you said, that you can no longer stand, then I shall carry you as far as you need to go.” Loki’s smile was soft, and it was Tony’s turn to try and hold back the tears. “Anthony, whatever may happen in the future, just know that this is the _truth_ , and that I will love you for as long as I shall live.”

Tony couldn’t help it– he knew that he probably should have waited, but he pressed up on his tip toes to catch Loki’s lips in a kiss, his hands raking through Loki’s hair to pull him all the closer.

Once again they were interrupted, and Tony felt the back of his neck flush as he saw it was Frigga who had cleared her throat, though Loki only grinned as his mother shook her head fondly.

“Loki,” Frigga said patiently. “I believe you have a gift?”

Tony watched curiously as Loki twisted his hand in the air and plucked an apple from nothing. Then he held it out to Tony, his expression tender and loving, though there was still a touch of nervousness in his gaze.

The apple was as golden as any of the other fruit that seemed to grow on Asgard, and it seemed to almost glow in the surrounding light of the celebration.

“Anthony,” Loki said. “You have already sworn to give me your forever– but would you accept this, to make our time together just as perfect as we both hope it to be?”

Okay, Tony had to admit, he had not been expecting this. It wasn’t too weird though– he assumed that it must be some kind of Asgardian tradition, another titbit that he had missed when Loki had been telling him about this declaration. Some cultures on Earth had similar traditions after all– he knew even American weddings did that thing where the bride and groom fed each other pieces of the cake, right?

He did wonder if he was meant to have brought something for Loki as well, but he didn’t want to waste another moment with hesitation. He reached out and took the apple from Loki’s palm, lifting it to his lips and letting the taste fill his mouth.

It was even more delicious than any of the other fruits, and Tony devoured in moments– which was probably a good thing– since the hall went silent as Tony ate it, and then burst into cheers the moment that he was done. Tony could hear Thor’s loud hoots over everyone else’s, but he only had eyes for the man standing before him.

Loki’s smile was so wide it could have cracked his face in half, and Tony found himself matching it. And this time, when they kissed, no one tried to stop them or break them apart. Tony lost himself in the feel of Loki’s lips, in the heady sensation of loving someone and them loving him back. The world melted away until it was just him and Loki, pressed close together and holding on tight.

The party had returned to full swing around them by the time they pulled back, but neither of them really cared. Their foreheads rested together as they caught their breath, and Tony kept his eyes closed, simply trying to hold on to the moment for just a little bit longer.

“Thank you, Anthony,” Loki whispered.

“Any time,” Tony replied.

“ _Any_ time,” Loki echoed, his smile widening into something bright and delighted, completely and absolutely overcome with happiness. “Yes. All of the time in the world.”

Tony leaned up and kissed him again, sliding their mouths together with the first kiss of the rest of their lives.

And even though they still had their proper wedding to come, even though it had taken place on Asgard and Tony had the feeling that he did not know the true meaning of more than half of what had happened, he was sure that the evening would be one that he would look on fondly for as long as he was still alive to remember it.

—~—

No matter how much time passed, Tony never stopped being happy when he was with Loki. In the beginning of their relationship, he had waited for the other shoe to drop, almost convinced that something this good _had_ to come with a catch. But it never did, and he continued to be surprised until it wasn’t a surprise anymore, until he knew beyond a doubt that he and Loki would stay together, in love and _happy_.

It was only then, when Tony began to think of words like _forever_ that the catch made itself known. Because he knew that he was only human, only mortal, just a mayfly when compared to a god– and that ‘the rest of our lives’ was far longer for Loki than it was for him.

That scared him to think about, because Tony saw the joy in Loki’s gaze, and he knew without a doubt that Loki loved him just as much as he loved Loki– and he knew that Loki would break when Tony passed away.

Oh, he didn’t think Loki would _shatter_ – he knew that his husband was stubborn enough to keep on going, would not turn to darkness when Tony finally went six feet under. But he knew that Loki would suffer, that he wouldn’t be the same when he came through the other side– because Tony knew that he wouldn’t be either, if the roles had been reversed. And the thought of Loki having to go through that filled him with dread.

Most days, though, Tony was able to push it away, to keep his thoughts on the _good_ – because there truly was so much good to choose from.

Some days, Tony didn’t even notice the passing of time—

But on others, that ever-daunting march of years could not be ignored, and those days were always the hardest.

—~—

Tony knew that he was vain about his appearance. He kept his goatee in perfect nick every single morning, and even though his hair was often a mess, it was always _artfully_ so. But there was one thing that stood out in the mirror, and he narrowed his eyes as he stared at himself.

He wasn’t even sure why it had caught his gaze, since it had clearly been a thing for quite a while. Although, perhaps it was simply that it was his birthday, that change of numbers that always makes one consider their place in the world, and, as that number increased, just how many more years you had left to live in it.

But, this was not a reminder of the negative sort– nor even the positive.

This was just… strange. Because you see—

Tony was now sixty years old, and he did not have a single grey hair.

It was something he had been incredibly proud of, preening whenever the media had mentioned how good he looked for his age. Loki had always chuckled at that, and he’d always kissed Tony afterward– and while Tony didn’t really get that, because shouldn’t Loki feel sad at the reminder of his age? – he certainly didn’t mind the reaction.

But this was… well.

Tony knew that he had made mistakes in his youth, that he hadn’t taken good care of himself. He knew that the drugs and the alcohol and the _palladium_ had to have shortened his lifespan, and to be honest, he’d always thought he’d be _lucky_ to reach sixty, let alone look good for it.

And yet, there he was. His reflection, staring right back at him and not looking a day over thirty-five.

“Anthony?” Loki called from the bedroom, not quite cutting through his musings but enough to be heard nonetheless.

“Yeah, just a minute,” Tony answered distractedly, leaning closer to the mirror. Now that he was looking, it was clear that it wasn’t just his hair.

His skin looked good as well, healthy and smooth, and without any of the lines that most other men his age were sporting. His eyes were still bright, and he felt just as strong as he had, well… as he _ever_ had, really. And it wasn’t just a healthy diet and exercise, it couldn’t be. By all accounts, Tony should be near _immobile_ by now, since his body truly had been through hell and back in the sixty years since he had been born.

So why did he still feel as good as ever?

He was still staring when he heard the door creak, and he flicked his gaze to the left to see his husband’s reflection in the mirror.

“Anthony?” Loki said. “We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry.”

Late? _Oh–_ yes, it was Tony’s birthday, wasn’t it? He had come into the bathroom to wash up for the party. It wasn’t going to be a big thing like he’d had in his youth, but a small gathering just with friends and family. Quiet, simple, _nice_.

He had been excited for it, but the reminder had him glancing back to his own reflection, and he ran a finger under one of his eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Loki asked, starting to sound a little concerned. That caused Tony’s brows to pull into a frown– he hadn’t meant for Loki to worry.

“It’s just, birthdays, you know?” Tony said, finally tearing his gaze from the mirror, and turning around to face Loki instead. “They make you think about how old you are.”

Loki’s expression fell slightly, and he looked guarded in the way that Tony knew meant he was feeling nervous about something. It worried Tony that this might be something more, and he frowned at the thought.

“You’ve noticed, haven’t you?” he asked.

Loki drew in a breath, as if he were steadying himself. “I had hoped… that it was something else,” he said, and Tony’s stomach sank.

“Then you know what this is?”

“I can’t reverse it, I can’t… I had hoped that you had given this the proper consideration, that you would not have chosen to be with me without thinking it through. I thought that meant you would not regret it, but…” Loki drew in a pained breath, and Tony frowned in confusion.

“What?” he asked. “I just– I still look so _young_ , Loki. It’s weird– what are _you_ talking about?”

Loki expression suddenly cleared with understanding, and his eyes widened.

“You _don’t_ regret this?” he asked, sounding relieved.

“Regret _what?”_ Tony asked confusedly. “Loki– come on, what—”

“That you have chosen me over your mortal life,” Loki said. He stepped forward and cupped Tony’s cheeks, his expression a mix of tenderness and concern.

“Wait, wait, back up. I did what?” Tony frowned. “I mean, sure, I chose you, of course I did. I married you, didn’t I? But—”

“Anthony,” Loki said slowly. “You said that you would love me forever. Do you not remember?”

Tony frowned, because of course he did. That day on Asgard and their wedding a couple of weeks afterward had both been perfect, and he could remember them like they had happened only yesterday. He suspected, though, that Loki was referring to something that happened on Asgard– because that had been where everyone had been saying things like ‘forever’ and ‘eternity’, and where Tony had been slightly confused by a few of the Asgardian traditions.

But if Loki was referencing it now, then that meant—

“You know what this is,” Tony said, more of a statement than a question. “You know why I still look so young.”

“Well, of course,” Loki said, tilting his head. “You ate a golden apple. Do you truly not remember?”

“The golden apple? Well, yeah, that thing tasted good,” Tony said. “But it… wait a second.”

Golden apples, apples of youth, those things in Norse Mythology that gave the gods their long lives—

And Tony’s eyes widened. “Wait a _second_ ,” he said again. “You _didn’t—_ ”

“Anthony,” Loki said slowly. “Do you know what the golden apple was _for?_ ”

Tony winced. “Uh. I did think that it was just a tradition, part of the ceremony, like you needing to prove that you could feed me, or something. But now…” he trailed off for a moment, watching Loki’s burgeoning horror manifest across his expression. “Well, now I’m starting to think that maybe it was a little bit more than that.”

“You didn’t know,” Loki groaned. “All this time, and you didn’t—”

“Oh god, it is, isn’t it,” Tony said. “It was _that_ golden apple. You made me immortal _years_ ago and I didn’t even notice—”

“I can’t believe you didn’t realise.”

“Well you could have explained it to me,” Tony whined.

“It was a _golden apple_ , Anthony—”

“Every bloody fruit in Asgard is golden!” Tony exclaimed. “How was I supposed to know?”

Loki actually flinched back at that, and Tony’s heart clenched.

“I’m sorry,” Loki said sadly, apologetically, like wanting to extend their time together was wrong. “I… I thought you knew. I never meant to take this choice from you.”

He looked so downtrodden, and Tony couldn’t help but compare the expression to the joy he had worn when Tony had eaten the apple. He’d assumed it was mere symbolism before, but now, that happiness took on a new meaning– because Loki had been euphoric not because Tony was accepting a gift or a declaration, but because Tony had been agreeing to be with him for as long as _Loki_ lived.

“Hey,” Tony said gently. “You know that I’m not actually mad, right?”

“You aren’t?” Loki asked.

“Of course not,” Tony replied, curling his hands through Loki’s hair and brushing their lips together, smiling when Loki leaned forward for more. But Tony hadn’t finished, so he pulled back slightly and added, “I mean, yeah, knowing what I was doing probably would have made the moment even better but. You’re still one of the best things that ever happened to me, and I’m not going to regret something that lets me stay with you for as long as I can. And I’m not going to complain now that I know that’s a little bit longer.”

“A little bit?” Loki asked, finally cracking a smile.

“A whole lot,” Tony agreed, the words quiet and breathy as he leaned back in. “Even better.”

Their kiss was soft and gentle, an affirmation of a love that still burned just as brightly even after all those years– and given more time, Tony knew that it would only glow brighter still.

Loki melted into the embrace, and when the kiss came to a soft end, he seemed happy once again.

“You know, I never really believed that I’d make it to the big six-oh,” Tony said, and when Loki grimaced, Tony raised his hand to gently stroke his husband’s cheek in reassurance. “But now, I’ve got so many birthdays to come, and I look forward to spending every single one of them with you.”

“I look forward to that as well,” Loki replied, dotting another chaste kiss to the corner of Tony’s mouth. “Thank you for choosing me, Anthony, over everything. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Tony said, smiling against Loki’s lips. “For as long as we both shall live.”

If the rest of their lives suddenly meant a whole lot longer, if it meant that Tony could look forward to thousands more happy days and _years_ with the man that he loved, then there was nothing to regret, and very little left to dread.

And maybe, with that in mind, Tony could understand exactly why Asgard loved gold so much after all.

**Author's Note:**

>  **jaxonkreide's** prompt:  
>   
>  _what if they actually had a bunch of golden fruit on asgard, but besides the golden apples none of them have any powers besides tasting well and are just in fruit bowls all over the place to eat kjhgjhg and there's like some festivity that the avengers are allowed to come to? and they eat all the golden fruit without thought and when Loki offers tony a golden apple, he doesn't understand it's anything special and just eats it and stuff i dunno lol ghfghjhgkj_  
>   
>  _tony definitely still is worrying afterwards "aw man loki definitely doesn't want to stay with a mortal" and years later tony stares at the mirror and asks "hey wait, why am i not aging like at all anymore?" and loki just "you ate the golden apple????"_  
>   
>  I admit it was that very last part that made me need to write it. I had fun doing this one! ❤︎


End file.
